EngRegional
Why UN needs to change approach to diplomacy
The United Nations is
mandated to play a critical role in the maintenance of global peace and
security, promotion of the well-being of the peoples of the world, and
fostering international cooperation to these ends.
However, since its
establishment in 1945, reports indicate that the body has performed dismally on
many of its key mandates, especially on keeping peace and security where
letdowns are voluminous.
The UN’s diplomatic missions
are high and costly, and in most cases if not all, it has failed to act
effectively on its cardinal principle and the consequences have always been in
massive losses.
In 1993, the world body passed
Resolution 872 establishing the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda.
The decision came as a result of the armed struggle that had been launched by
the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) as its last resort, after peaceful
negotiations for the safe and unconditional return of thousands of Rwandan
refugees who had lived in exile for more than three decades proved to be
futile. UNAMIR’s role was to ensure the implementation of the peace process
with tasks like ensuring security of the capital city, Kigali, monitor the
ceasefire agreement, establishment of the demilitarized zone and monitor the
general security situation.
But when the government in
power at the time suddenly rolled out the genocide machine targeting the Tutsi,
UNAMIR was reduced to a bystander. The peacekeeping mission simply looked on as
the Genocide against the Tutsi went full-throttle.
Michael Barnett, who worked
at the US mission to the UN in 1994 argued that the UN's inaction in Rwanda
stemmed from its desire not to get involved in a potentially-risky operation
for public relations that could damage the prospects for future peace-keeping
operations since 18 UN troops had earlier been killed in Somalia.
UNAMIR withdrew from Rwanda
when the killing of Tutsi started.
The UN failed to understand
how crucial it was to save lives of Rwandans, bring peace and security to the
most vulnerable at the time.
Consequently, they lost even the little credibility they had left.
First forward, to the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the UN established MONUSCO. Its mission was
to bring about peace and security to the people in the east of the country. But
for more than 20 years, the peace and security situation in this region has
only worsened.
Millions of lives have been
lost, rebel armed groups have been created in their dozens and UN staff have
been cited in illegal activities in DRC, despite this being the most expensive
operation of the UN.
With many other countries
around the world having conflicts that are sources of different types of
insecurities, many across the world have little or no faith in the agency.
Many experts have argued on
the lack of centralism as the main reason of the UN's poor performance in maintaining
peace and security among member states, and others have argued that all that is
needed is to review the UN diplomacy architecture.
Regardless of where one
stands between these two arguments, one thing is certain. The status-quo is not
working at all.
The UN system and diplomatic
engagements should consider the multi-dimensional vulnerabilities and
socio-political challenges faced by countries in conflicts and engage in
adequate preventive diplomacy, if it is to be a relevant body that is
responsive to the needs for which it was created.
